Professor Sycamore and the golden book
by nayru9572
Summary: My idea of what the new game in the franchise could be, following the adventures of Professor Sycamore, Luke Triton and Cynthia Laurel five years after Unwound Future! There will be quite a lot of OC's, at least one main character and one antagonist, and there might be some Descole/OC later on.
1. Prologue

**I've tried to make this story as much as an actual Professor Layton game as I could, but it's still just fanfiction. Still, I hope you like it, and if you've got any good ideas, please do review/PM them! And in case anyone wanted to know, I'm imagining 17-year old Luke to look exactly like Clive did in Unwound Future. Sycamore/ Descole doesn't look like he's aged at all though.**

It was an unusually clear day in London.  
This was the first thing the young man noticed as he stepped out of the Molentary Express. Then again, the last time he'd set foot in London was back when he was a little boy. He could hardly claim to be familiar with the place after being gone for five years.

He felt tempted to go visit his former teacher after such a long time, but decided against it: this was the first time the professor had asked for his help, after all! He was determined to do this properly, this he swore on his name as Luke Triton! He'd go visit the professor after he'd fulfilled his request. Speaking of which…

Luke pulled the letter the professor had sent him a week earlier. At first he'd barely noticed anything odd about it all, except for that the professor's monthly letter to him was a bit early. It had been roughly four years since he'd last met the professor in person. He'd come to his new home back then because Luke had sent him a letter requesting his assistance for a new mystery. The professor, being the true gentleman he is, had arrived there in less than three days. Together they'd solved the mystery, and the professor had gone back home with the promise to write a lot. Luke hadn't sat still all those years, and had honed his puzzle-solving skills and his true gentleman lifestyle. He still wasn't at the professor's level, but he was certainly doing well.

But back to the letter. At first it had seemed like a normal letter, but upon opening it he found a map of London with a red circle drawn on it, together with an address. The letter itself read:

 _Luke,_

 _I'm sorry to be so abrupt, but I need a favor from you.  
I'm sorry I can't give you more details, but I'm currently quite busy with my own work here at the university.  
Due to this, I'm unable to help an old acquaintance of mine who asked for my aid in a case. This is someone you know as well.  
Your father's told me you've been solving cases near your home, and have been doing a good job.  
This is why I've decided to hand the case over to you. If you don't want it, just send me a letter with your answer: I'd understand.  
But if you do want it, the address of my acquaintance is written on the map that came with this.  
In this case, I'm grateful. I wouldn't want to let him down.  
Either way, I expect to hear from you soon._

 _Professor Hershel Layton._

It wasn't the first time the professor had handed him a case, but those were always small ones in which he simply had to give advice to the police. This was the first time the professor had given him an actual case! He'd be lying if he said he didn't feel excited and happy at the idea that the professor trusted him like this. Sure, the letter had been short, but that was because the professor had been pressed for time: it didn't change that he chose him of all people to look for help.

Luke held out his hand to catch a taxi, and like this he made his way to the address on the map. It turned out to be an office building in the more quiet parts of London. He felt excitement welling up, but his outward appearance was calm and composed, befitting of a true gentleman. He entered the building and used the elevator to get to the second-last floor. There, he searched for the ninth door on the right, and knocked.

'I'll be right there!' Sounded a strangely familiar voice. The professor had said it was someone he knew, but Luke couldn't immediately think of name that belonged to the voice. He gave up trying to guess as he heard the door lock be undone, and decided he'd find out in a matter of seconds anyway.

But the face he saw when the door was opened must have belonged to the last person he'd expected:  
'Descole?!'  
'Oh, Luke, so he send you. Not that it wasn't to be expected. Please, come on in. And I'd prefer it if you addressed me as Sycamore. I'm not wearing a costume now, after all.'


	2. Chapter 1

"Why did you of all people ask the professor for help?" Was the first thing Luke asked as soon as he was seated. Despite the shock, he'd accepted Sycamore's invitation to come inside and was now stirring the cup of tea he'd given him. But that didn't mean he felt like being nice to him.

"Is it truly that strange? We are brothers after all, and there aren't many except for him that can match me", was his answer, not the least bit surprised by how he'd blurted out the question.

"Not as much when you put it like that, but still. You used to be enemies!" _And in a way, we still are,_ Luke mentally added. He wasn't sure what he thought of the man in front of him. Five years ago, he'd tried to kill not just him, but everyone important to him, multiple times even! But he'd also risked his life to save his, and had been prepared to die to save the world. To say he hated the man would be a lie, but he certainly didn't like or trust him.

"Emphasis on 'used to be'. At the moment, Hershel and I are colleagues. But you didn't come here to ask me about this, did you? I'm sure you want to hear my request." Luke nodded, not having forgotten why he came here in the first place.

"The professor sent me this letter not too long ago", he took the letter out of his pocket and held it out to Sycamore, but the older man shook his head.

"I don't need to see it: Hershel already told me he'd contacted you."

"… And you're okay with that?"

"Of course. You are nowhere near our level, but your assistance would still be of great use." Luke wasn't sure whether he was happy with the praise or not, considering whom it had come from.

So instead, he focused on more important matters.

"Let's get down to business then: What's the request?"

"You've become no less direct than five years ago I see. Then again, that is not necessarily a bad thing." Sycamore took a sip from his cup.

"To be frank, I need you to travel with me to a city named Parcelle to search for a package of mine. It was supposed to be delivered to me here in London, but its departure was never confirmed." Luke quickly took out his notebook and pen and wrote everything he'd said in it.

"What's in the package?"

"An old artefact. I bought it at an auction there a couple of months ago." Why did it not surprise Luke that Sycamore had bought something like that? While he was thinking this, Sycamore simply continued his explanation while stirring his tea.

"I sent them a letter demanding to know why it hasn't arrived yet, but so far they have yet to give a proper answer."

"Why did you want the professor's help for this? Isn't that just the delivering company's fault?"

"Normally I would agree with you on this, but the artefact is something… Unique. It is an ancient piece of Azran technology, and I wouldn't want it falling into the wrong hands."

"AFTER ALL THAT HAPPENED WITH AURORA YOU STILL WANT TO UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF THE AZRAN!? HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?!" Luke suddenly shouted at the top of his lungs, the palms of his hands smashing into the coffee table as he stood up, almost tipping over the teacup standing on it. This time Luke did manage to take Sycamore by surprise. The man had seen Luke still carried dislike for him, but he hadn't expected the young man to get so upset about what happened so long ago. In the end, he was still the same little boy as back then…

"… I never said anything about unlocking their secrets. I've let that part of the past behind me. My interest in this piece is simply as an archaeologist wanting to learn more about the past", he managed to say once he'd recovered from his shock.

"Now please calm down, or else my neighbours will be concerned." Only then did Luke realize how he'd jumped to conclusions and overreacted. Embarrassed, he sat down again while mumbling a silent "sorry", but not silent enough for Sycamore to miss it.

"Apology accepted. Now, where were we?" He said, drinking up the last of his tea.

"I do believe I've told you the basics. If you agree to help, we will leave tomorrow noon with the Bostonius. Raymond is gathering supplies for the trip as we speak."

"I'll help, if only to do the professor a favour."

"Very good. Do you have any questions left? If not, you may leave. I expect you to be at the airport at 11 a.m. Sharp."

"Actually I do, but they don't have to do with the case."

"Oh? Well, ask away."

"… Why did you come here?"

"Pardon?"

"After you disappeared at the temple, we didn't hear from you for a long time. It was four years ago that the professor told me he'd run into you. So why did you come back?"

"…" Sycamore remained silent for a while, his gaze distant. Luke actually thought he simply didn't want to answer and was about to ask something else when he spoke up.

"After what happened at the Azran temple I… Travelled for a while." He used the word travel, but it was more like an adventure, really.

"I had just lost my only goal in life, so I left to search for a new one. I was content with that for a while, but eventually I wanted to do something more meaningful. I decided to visit Hershel, and happened to arrive just at the moment you left. We sat down and talked like civilized people for a while after that. He somehow managed to convince me to work as a science teacher at Gressenheller University. While it is not exactly a life goal, I do admit it keeps one more than a little busy. Eventually I took up archaeology again as a hobby, and due to my knowledge on the Azran I decided to start with that. That's all there is to it, really."

The room was filled with silence for a moment, before it was once again disturbed by Sycamore's voice.

"Now, do you have any other questions to ask? Preferably about the job?"

"… No, I think I've heard enough. I'll be taking my leave then", Luke said, finishing his tea and standing up.

"You do that."


End file.
